Yesterday, the local MEGA group held a showcase event where they invited a fairly large group of people to come and showcase some of their projects. The were a number of vendors there, but it was mostly schools, who brought posters and computer samples of their local projects.
I demonstrated Class Blogmeister, though I actually promoted ePals’ and Gaggle’s blogging tools. A couple of hours before the event, I sent a request out through the Class Blogmeister mailing list asking for any blurbs that Blogmeister teachers might share as to their students’ use of blogging. So here are the ones that came back almost immediately, with very very minor edits.
Even when they’re out sick, students work on their blogs.
Carol Barsotti
I’ve got 6th graders coming in during their lunch and after school to add articles to their blog and to respond to their classmates’ articles
Al Gonzalez
My students are floored when, as they say, “some random person from Texas commented on my blog!!” The students are getting real world experience with writing.
Brian McLaughlin
Why would my students want to write on paper for their teacher to see, when they could write on their blog for the whole world to see.
Kathy Cassidy
In fifteen years of teaching, I have never seen anything come along even CLOSE to motivating students to write – like blogging does.
Mark Ahlness
For your edification!
Kids have no power. They have little or no control over their lives and everyone is bigger than they are. Blogging allows students to tell the whole world what they say. On the internet kids are on the same playing field as most adults.
Two of my colleagues and I have just formally finished a grant project where we blogged with 3rd and 4th graders. Teachers report that they’ve never had kids so motivated to write. The biggest difference that we’ve seen by bringing our writing process to blogs is that the kids take so much more care with the revision piece. To have comments from other students (and teachers and parents) has made all the difference in the way they look at their writing now. They have a real audience beyond their classroom buddies.
I couldn’t agree more with all the comments posted. Blogging with kids is exceptionally empowering.
Dave… for shame. “Kid’s” should be “Kids”.
See my post on my blog at blogmeister http://www.cheryloakes.com
Right on!
Cheryl
Hello and congratulations! nokia6630
yeah,
blog is the right platform wherein kids can share and express their views globally
i appreciate this.
cheers
Kids r majorly into blogging now a days and there is nothing we can do to stop this.Instead what we can do is divert their energies towads educational blogs so that apart frm having fun they can learn.
Good to see kids blog at work as this makes them more interactive.I think there is even a great need fro them to refer Audio books which provides fairytales in interesting way.
Blogging works well for junior school but is not nearly so motivating at secondary school level in my experience.